Often an individual desires a light focused to illuminate an area while performing a task or a light directed in a general outward direction for visibility. Holding a flashlight is an option, but such lighting devices are often cumbersome and may detract from the task being completed because the flashlight needs to be hand-held to be able to direct the light at a work site where the user needs illumination. As a result, hands-free lighting is often used because the individual desiring illumination does not need to hold the light source.
Lighted headgear may include illumination sources mounted to various types of headgear and hats. The light can be directed in such a manner so that the wearer is illuminated to be seen by others or directed downward to provide light forwardly of the wearer illuminating an area in the wearer's field of view, such as for reading. Applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 6,659,618 provides examples of such lighted hats. The light source can be one or more LEDs. Such LED lighted headgear, which may include LEDs mounted to a typical baseball-style cap, are convenient for hands-free lighting in a number of recreational activities, such as camping, hunting, fishing, jogging, or the like. Lighted headgear may include separate components such as one housing or assembly to hold a power source and other electrical components and a separate housing or assembly to contain the illumination source. Other lighted hats may contain all electrical components within a crown and/or brim portion of the hat. In each case, the lighted headgear generally includes a user-activated power switch (to energize the light source) positioned on one of the housings or on a portion of the hat.
In many cases, the lighted headgear is displayed on a store shelf in a manner so that a potential purchaser can operate the switch to turn on the light source. To this end, the hat may be provided to the store with a power source already included so that the light source can be activated by the consumer. However, because the lighted headgear may be shipped in bulk to the store with the power source included, the power source can be unintentionally activated through contact of the activation switch with an adjacently packed hat. In particular, where the activation switch is positioned on the hat brim, the light source can be inadvertently turned on during the shipping process by the hat brim of one hat engaging or depressing the activation switch of another hat nested therewith. Such inadvertent activation can drain the power source prior to the hat's display on the store shelf.
Prior packaging arrangements have been configured to allow actuation of a switch to momentarily activate a power source while an item is encased with the packaging, but such prior packaging is generally a blister-type pack that completely encases the product so that it tends to be bulky and distracts from the appearance of the item within the package. Moreover, such prior blister-pack arrangements generally do not include sufficient structure on the packaging to block inadvertent actuation of the switch that might cause power to drain from the battery. Therefore, when these prior packaging designs are shipped in bulk, there is the risk that engagement between adjacent packages could energize the power source and drain the battery.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,311,837 to Blaustein provides a bulky blister pak for an electric toothbrush that allows momentary activation of the toothbrush while within the packaging material by permitting a power switch to be depressed momentarily, but attempts to block continuous actuation of the power source by hindering the sliding of the switch to a permanently on position. To this end, Blaustein permits the momentary depressing of its power switch by relying on the flexibility of the blister pak material covering the switch that can easily deform to allow the switch to be depressed, but then includes a single and narrow rib adjacent one side of the momentary switch to prevent the sliding action of the switch to the continuously on position.
Blaustein's single rib is designed primarily to block the activation switch from shifting or sliding in a direction along the shaft of the toothbrush to prevent the switch from being shifted to the continuous on position. Although this packaging arrangement may be effective to prevent the switch from being slid to the continuously on-position, the blister pak has a relatively flexible material surrounding the switch in order to permit the momentary actuation of the switch. Therefore, inadvertent actuation may still occur when multiple items having this packaging arrangement are stacked atop one another. When sufficient items are tightly packed in a box or other shipping crate, a force between packed items may be sufficient to deform of the thin blister pak material covering the switch to depress the switch to the momentary on position. Therefore, Blaustein's switch can be inadvertently depressed to the momentary on position and the power source drained.
Other accessories have also been mounted to headgear to generally enable some aspect of hands-free operation of such accessories. In this regard, the individual's hands are free to complete other tasks while the accessory is being used. For example, cameras, binoculars, as well as other accessories have been mounted to headgear in order to allow the use of the accessory generally without requiring the use of ones hands. However, prior hat and accessory configurations tend to be bulky and also detract from the traditional style of the headgear.
In some instances, the lighted headgear may contain illumination sources, such as powerful LEDs, that release relatively large quantities of heat during operation. In order to protect the components of such an LED lighting system it is advantageous to dissipate the heat generated during light operation. Unfortunately, current heat sinks configured for use with compact light sources such as LEDs tend to be large and bulky and require relatively large flat surfaces to which the heat sink is mounted. In addition, prior heat sinks and LED configurations tend to be relatively thick and rigid which can limit their positioning on some headgear designs, such as baseball type hats or caps. Therefore, mounting a heat sink to an LED on a lighted hat tends to increase the thickness and bulk of the profile of the hat, and particularly the brim thereof from its normal more desired appearance.
Lighted headgear may include activation switches that are operable to establish electrical communication between the power source and the illumination source. The illumination source can be energized once the activation switch is depressed, slid, or otherwise shifted to an on position. For example, it is known to place a push button switch underneath the fabric covering the rigid brim material. However, many activation switches tend to be large and bulky and they do not allow the hat to maintain its normal more desired appearance because the switch provides bulges or other bumps in the profile of the hat.
Other headgear configurations include a power source contained in a rigid battery holder. In some cases, such rigid holder is placed within a lower sweatband area of the crown portion of the headgear that encircles a wearer's head. Because of the rigid configuration of the battery holder, the headgear can be uncomfortable for the wearer because the battery holder generally does not conform to the curved shape of the headgear. Alternatively, loose batteries can be placed in a pouch or other pocket contained within the headgear, but such loose configuration of the batteries can place strain on the wire connection to the battery that can eventually fail after repeated use of the hat due to repeated bending of the connection.